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Sheriff

Sheriff

The Sheriff, who is elected by the residents of Stillwater County, is the chief executive officer of the agency. He and his command staff manage the day to day investigations, evidence management, civil process and a number of support operations necessary to provide full law enforcement coverage and services for Stillwater County.

The Stillwater County Sheriff's Office is the chief law enforcement agency in Stillwater County, Montana. It is comprised of approximately sixteen employees including sworn officers, communications technicians, and professional support staff. The Sheriff's Office provides general law enforcement, court security, dispatching, and search and rescue operations for the citizens of Stillwater County in a service area of 1,805 miles. Additionally, this agency provides specialized regional services to the entire county and contract law enforcement to specific areas.

The Coroner is an elected public official. In Montana, the Coroner can be a separate office, or it can be combined with the position of Sheriff, as it is in Stillwater County. The Coroner can appoint Deputy Coroners.

The Coroner must determine the cause and manner of death. Manner of death is listed as accident, homicide, suicide, natural, undetermined, or pending (waiting for autopsy results). Cause of death is a medical-legal determination, such as cancer, heart attack, or blunt force trauma to the head.

The Coroner must attend a 40-hour class on death investigation, and then attend 16 hours of training every two years. The Coroner can get assistance from the State Medical Examiner.

The Coroner inquires into any death that was caused by other than natural causes (accident, homicide), or when no licensed physician will sign the death certificate. The death certificates are filed at the local registrar's office.

Montana law requires that the Coroner be notified immediately of a death. The Coroner will then determine if an inquiry will be necessary. No individual may move a deceased person without authorization from the Coroner.

Question: How do I obtain copies of reports?Answer: A citizen may request a copy of a "call-for-service" for a fee of $2.00 per page. A call-for-service contains the basic information collected by our office when an incident is first reported. Any further information contained in official incident or arrest reports contains criminal justice information which, by law, may not be released to the public.

Question: How do I obtain fingerprints?Answer: Our office will take fingerprints for purposes such as employment. There is a fee of $5.00 per card and are taken during the hours of 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday - Friday, based on deputy availability.